New layout is up, and I hope you like it ! Brokeback-themed, obviously, because I don’t think I can get over it, especially with Lori writing Two Crows Joy so wonderfully !

It’s not quite ready yet -I’ve just “accidentally” republished the template while it wasn’t complete *is really clumsy*. The favorite sections is still to be finished, as well as the archives and links ones (just a few things to adjust, eg. credit, disclaimer and such) but everything else is there -including the fanlistings…and that was a lot of work. I’ve added loads of them, so feel free to navigate !

Oh, and classes have resumed after a billion days of strike. That means exams, studying, putting up with loads of pressure and ultimately, less frequent updates here. As you may have already figure out.

Last thing, I’ve just been seeing some wonderful movies lately, and I’ll be posting about them as soon as I’m done with the rest 🙂

Quick review of the movies I’ve seen this week. I tried to keep it short, because some of you might not be interested in this usual rambling.

In cinemas

La Doublure, directed by Francis VeberFunny, funny comedy I highly enjoyed. The recipe has been used before, but it works just fine. The actors were all good, too.Jean-Philippe, directed by Laurent TuelGoofy movie about insanity and fandoms. Sounds attractive, eh ? It was pretty funny, but nothing too wonderful though.Ice Age : The Meltdown, directed by Carlos SaldanhaLives up to its predecessor; hilarious and adorable. I may go as far as saying that it is a satisfying, if not successful, sequel and that seldom happens.Grizzly Man, directed by Werner HerzogFascinating documentary about ecologist Timothy Treadwell and his tragic fate (killed by the very creatures he was trying to protect). It’s not so much about the animals than the man himself -outcast, misunderstood and desperately lonely.16 Blocs, directed by Richard DonnerOld-fashioned action movie which works pretty well. Characters are surprisingly believable and the overall screenplay is good. Bruce Willis is a hell of a fine actor.

At home

O Brother, Where Art Thou ?, directed by Joel CoenOh my, this is such a feel-good movie. It cheers you up for about ten days, because it’s just so genuinely funny and so well-done. The main actors -George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson- make up the best trio ever.Velvet Goldmine, directed by Todd HaynesEdgy, somewhat delirious, and rather interesting. It has a dream-like quality to it, and it is skillfully made, but the lack of a precise and well-constructed plot makes it a bit confusing.The English Patient, directed by Anthony MinghellaGlossy epic romance which felt a bit too long in my opinion. I probably expected too much of it. It was still an enjoyable movie, with great performances from a very good cast, and gorgeous cinematography.Barry Lyndon, directed by Stanley KubrickStunning adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel. A splendid and delicate film, where beauty fills up every single shot. A real work of art, and possibly a masterpiece.Keeping the Faith, directed by Edward NortonA very charming, refreshing, smart romantic comedy. And that’s quite rare. It works on several levels, too -it’s about love obviously, but also about faith, tolerance, friendship and all these important things in life. Can’t wait to see Edward directing another movie, because that was certainely promising. And I love Ben Stiller, no matter what.

Elsewhere, theChampions’ League and the Davis Cup have turned out badly for my favorites (read : France), and it depressed the hell out of me, but c’est la vie.

Lori hasn’t updated her Brokeback Mountain fanfic, Two Crows Joy, in such a long time. I’m getting really frustrated. I was and am so addicted to her work, and I’m eagerly awaiting a new chapter. In the meantime, I think I’ll re-read my favoriteHarry Potter fic ever, Cassandra Claire’s Draco Trilogy. I don’t think I’ll finish it because it’s so long, but I’ll try. I kind of miss the Harry Potter universe, and I just can’t read Half-Blood Prince again -it’s too painful. Very melodramatic but true. Fanart credit : The Draco Trilogy fanart gallery

Check out the trailer for Paul Greengrass’ movie about 9/11, United 93. I shivered all over the place, it’s overwhelmingly emotive.Picture credit : IMP

A little meme I’ve found on a Livejournal. It’s pretty fun to do ! You don’t have to read it all, but I had so much fun doing it. Feel free to post yours in the comments (although it’d be quite long !).

1. Who would make a better college professor, 6 or 11 ? What subjects would they teach ? (Maximus and Peter Parker)I reckon Peter would be a good teacher, except that he’d be disturbed by his superhero duties all the time. He’d be a physics teacher, obviously, considering how geeky he is !Maximus would teach… STABBING THINGS (as Cleolinda would say).

3. 12 sends 8 on a mission. What is it, and does it succeed ? (Ryan Atwood and Holden Caufield)Haha, Ryan sending Holden on a mission ! Except that it totally wouldn’t succeed, Holden being against all froms of authorities whatever they may be. Ryan would ask Holden to kill Marissa, because she’s being such a spoiled, skinny brat who wrecked his life, and Holden would say, “Listen, I don’t give a rat’s arse about you rich folks. Piss off. Besides, it’s not like the goddamn gal won’t die one day, with all that alcohol in her blood.”

4. What is or would be 9’s favorite book ? (Mr. Darcy)Haha. Definitively not Jane Austen books. I can see Mr. Darcy reading… “10 Ways of Being a Charismatic Asshole”. Because he is. Really, really charismatic.

5. Would it make more sense for 2 to swear fealty to 6, or the other way around ? (Han Solo and Maximus)

Oh, it’d made much more sense for Maximus to swear fealty to Han Solo ! Han would never do such a thing. Plus, Maximus is very much into the whole “strength and honor” thing. Although he’d never serve a scruffy-looking nerf herder. Heh.

6. For some reason, 5 is looking for a roommate. Should s/he share a studio apartment with 9 or with 10 ? (Ennis Del Mar, Mr. Darcy and Neo)Oooohh, Ennis would rather live by himself. He’d pick Mr. Darcy, because he isn’t a very talkative person, and neither is he. Who knows what would happen between these two *perv!*

7. 2, 7 and 12 have dinner together. Where do they go, and what do they discuss ? (Han Solo, Jason Bourne and Ryan Atwood)Haha, I can totally picture the three of them hanging out together (…not). Han would do most of the talk, since Jason and Ryan aren’t particularly loquacious (hee). They would go to a very macho bar because they’re all so tough and everything, and they’d talk about all the crimes they’ve comitted in their tumulteous past -respectively: conning the galaxy, killing people for some reason he doesn’t understand, and beating up people all over the place.

8. 3 challenges 10 to a duel. What happens ? (Luke Skywalker and Neo)Oh, every nerd dream, seeing Luke and Neo duelling ! Luke would take his green lightsaber of Glory, and Neo would fly all around the place, trying to kick the damn kid. Luke would win, because the Force is even stronger than the knowledge of… whatever.

9. If 1 stole 8’s most precious possession, how would he get it back ? (Harry Potter and Holden Caufield)This is so much fun. Harry would steal Holden’s baseball mitt. For those who have read the novel, you’d understand -it belonged to his younger brother, who died of leukemia. I don’t see why Harry would do such a stupid thing, but Holden would totally kick his butt if he did. No way Harry would stop him, because Holden is such a spontaneous guy who can get into a fight really quickly. He’d beat the hell out of him and get his mitt back.

10. Suggest a title for a story in which 7 and 12 both attain what they most desire. (Jason Bourne and Ryan Atwood)Hmm, funny how these two are kind of like each other. Jason would very much, in my opinion, like to erase all these horrible things he’s done in the past. Ryan would want to reconcile with his brother, Trey, and erase some events too. So I guess they’d both embark on a journey throughout time and try to make up for all the mistakes they’ve made. It’d be called… “Back to the Future”, obviously. Mwhahahahahaha.

11. What kind of plot device would you use if you wanted 4 and 1 to work together ? (Aragorn and Harry Potter)Seeing that they both are very brave and nice heroes, I don’t see why they wouldn’t work with each other.I’d tell Harry that Aragorn would call his good friend Gandalf, the Ruler of all Wizards (heh).I’d tell Aragorn that Harry looks like Frodo, and it should be enough for PervyHobbitFancier!Aragorn (heeeh).

12. If 7 visited you for the weekend, how would you get along ? (Jason Bourne)Very fine, thanks. We’d be having a great time.

13. If you could command 3 to perform any one task or service for you, what would it be ? (Luke Skywalker)I’d ask him to teach me how to use a lightsaber. Green one would be best.

14. Does anyone on your friends list write or draw 11 ?I’m not on LJ so no friends list here, but obviously, I do know some people who drew Peter Parker, eg. Steve Ditko, the first artist who worked on the Spidey comics.

15. If 2 had to choose sides between 4 and 5, which would it be ? (Han Solo, Aragorn and Ennis Del Mar)Hmmm… Han would go with fellow scruffy-looking Aragorn. Haha. And because he knows how to be the perfect sidekick to a hero. He would tease Ennis all the time, and he’d end up being beaten quite badly, I’m afraid.

17. If you chose a song to represent 8, which song would you choose ? (Holden Caufield)Ah, good question. I’d pick “Time After Time” by Cyndi Lauper, or “Forever Young”. Something that represents a whole generation of teenage boys and girls, definitely.

18. 1, 6, and 12 are having dim sum at a Chinese restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets to eat it ? (Harry Potter, Maximus and Ryan Atwood)Awwww ! They’re all goodies heroes, and gentlemen. I guess Maximus and Ryan, being all mature and well-educated, would offer it to young Harry.

19. What might be a good pick-up line for 2 to use on 10 ? (Han Solo and Neo)“Wanna see who flies faster between the Millenium Falcon and your sorry ass ?”Okay, not exactly a pick-up line, but we all know how Han likes to do things backwards, so I guess it’s fine. Not that Han would ever be hit on Neo, obviously.

20. What would 5 most likely be arrested for ? (Ennis Del Mar)For picking up a fight -while protecting his “fella” Jack Twist. Most definitely.

21. What is 6’s secret ? (Maximus)Errrr… I don’t think he has one, except that well, he’s always loved Lucilla, even though he was married and had a kid. I like to think so, but I don’t know if it’s true.

22. If 11 and 9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first ? (Peter Parker and Mr. Darcy)Peter would be there first, being the cool superhero he is. Mr. Darcy would still be straight on his horse, looking down at him, *lol*.

23. Between 7 & 3, who would most likely become your friend ? (Jason Bourne and Luke Skywalker)I reckon I could be friends with both. But Luke could really be a good pal, if he’d existed.

24. 1 (Harry Potter) and 9 (Mr. Darcy) reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4’s (Aragorn) sinister secret organization. 11 (Peter Parker) volunteers to help them, but it is later discovered that 11 is actually a spy for 4. Meanwhile, 4 has kidnapped 12 (Ryan Atwood) in an attempt to force their surrender.Following the wise advice of 5 (Ennis Del Mar), they seek out 3 (Luke Skywalker), who gives them what they need to complete their quest.” What title would you give this fic ? Name three people on your friends list who might read it. Name one person who should write it.Wicked ! I have no idea what title could be appropriate for such a twisted story.Three people who might read it : Nath, Sonia and Alice, who are all in love with Mr. Darcy (then again, aren’t we all ?) -and they’d read anything with him even if it doesn’t make a whole heap of sense. Person who should write it : either Lydzi or Darky, because they’re both so good at writing fics.

25. If you had to walk home through a bad neighbourhood late at night, would you feel safer in the company of 7 or 8 ? (Jason Bourne and Holden Caufield)Jason Bourne all the way ! No offense to Holden, but Jason is the perfect man for the job, very much the sort of protective, caring guy.

Oh, and my (awesome) results to a pretty intersting quiz. Feel free to do it and post your own results !

You scored as English. You should be an English major! Your passion lies in writing and expressing yourself creatively, and you hate it when you are inhibited from doing so. Pursue that interest of yours!